His family owns Becaguimec Farm in Cloverdale, about 20 kilometres east of Hartland. The farm has a dozen cows, half as many pigs, 60 to 70 turkeys and about 60 other meat birds, the farmer said, among others.

They live in a lowland area, where having a well filled to the brim usually isn't difficult, but this year has been "exceptionally dry."

The well looks as if it's been pulled out of a fairytale, crafted with stones all the way down to its bottom, at nearly 20 feet, Best said.

Now that it's so dry, he can see the bottom.

"I have a consultant I was talking to about the possibility of getting some funding for a well and he asked, 'How can you be out of water? You live in a swamp.'"

There are about a dozen cows, half as many pigs, between 60 to 70 turkeys and about 60 other meat birds, among others, on the farm in Cloverdale, in western New Brunswick. (Becaguimec Farm)

The long-haul summer

To get water, Best said he borrows a trailer with a water tank on it. He drives to a nearby stream and pumps water into the tank, which takes about an hour and a half to fill.

Finally, he drives home and pumps the water into a reservoir, which then pumps water into all of the buildings on his property.

It's a two-hour task, whose benefit lasts about two days before Best has to do it all over again.

But he has sunflowers, sweet corn and soybean plants to keep alive as well — many of them starting to dry up and die.

Humans and livestock take priority over the plants and crops, farmer John Best says. (Becaguimec Farm)

Much of Best's free time is spent praying for wet weather, he said.

"I see 80 per cent [precipitation] for tomorrow, so I'm hoping we get something more than a downpour," he said.

Best plans to get a new well drilled but still has some pricing to do.

"They ballpark it at $6,000. It's one of those things that you can't live without but it's not that cheap to have either."

Until then, Best and his family will be making the long haul to get fresh water to stay afloat.

"The crops might not make it but the people and animals have to be taken care of first," he said.